help with shift cable please!

R

rad1026

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 1, 2006
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I'm hoping some people are around today. Of course I'm at the lake and my boat is on the trailer and not in the water. I was on the water yesterday and put the boat in reverse and my shift cable frayed at the shift lever. I have a 89 Chaparral with at 260 HP and alpha one gen 1. The shift lever is a quicksilver, single lever. I started to see if I could get things apart to get the cable off and bring it to the boat shop but I really can't figure out how this thing comes apart. I have the lever off, came off from the bottom of the lever with and allen screw. Behind the plastic plate is 8 screws and I basically stopped there because i don't want to mess anything up. There are two holes in the face plate are those some kind of access. The shop can't work on my boat today, too busy, but if I can find the part I have my mercruiser manual and I think I can follow the installation and adjustment procedure, if i can just get the cable off and bring it to them for sizing. Help me out guys, we are sitting on the beach. Thanks!
 
Don S

Don S

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Re: help with shift cable please!

Got a picture of your control you can post?
 
R

rad1026

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 1, 2006
Messages
443
Re: help with shift cable please!

Don, sorry I don't have the technology with me right now. Didn't bring my camera cable. Quicksilver single lever with a bar on the front of the handle to drepress when shifting out of neutral. A toggle switch right under the handle on the lever for trim, a square button under that for trailer and where the lever pivots there is a square button for putting the lever in neutral. The base of the lever where it attaches to the boat is about 4" square and it has two small holes right in front of the lever. I can't really tell what those holes are for. I have the lever off so I could access the screws behind it, but i really don't want to go any further until i get some more info. That's the best I can discribe it. I'll see if maybe I can find a pic of it on the internet somewhere, but I appreciate any help.
 
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rad1026

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 1, 2006
Messages
443
Re: help with shift cable please!

Thanks don, you are the man. I saved the manual and I'll work on it when I get home. I got outvoted about working on the boat today. We will just pull the kids with my buddies boat today and I'll fix the chaparral next week. I do appreciate your help!
 
R

rad1026

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 1, 2006
Messages
443
Re: help with shift cable please!

ok, I finally got the new upper shift cable delivered and I've decided to replace the throttle cable while I have it all apart. When I was at the local Marine shop the owner took me out to a boat he was working on and gave me a little advise on the shift cable. He said with the outdrive lowered and the cable installed, shift the control lever in to the forward detent. Then he had me turn the prop counter clockwise to feel the amount of pressure on the prop. He said when the cable is adjusted properly you should feel slightly more pressure in forward then reverse. He said he has been doing it this way for 30 years, since he has no water available to float the boat, and he is right on every time.

I have read my OEM manual and it explains things a little differently. I have measured the distance of the adjusting nut on the old cable and I'm thinking if I set up the new cable with the same distance this should get me a pretty close start. Any other tips would be appreciated. Also, are there any tricks in coordinating the shift with the throttle cable? Are there any specific lubrication points in the lever control mechanism that should be lubed while I have it off the panel, or just lube up any moving parts in there? Thanks for the help!
 
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